Written for:
Ultimate Chocolate Frog Cards Club: Streeler – Write about someone changing their physical appearance without being a Metamorphagi.
200 Characters in 200 Days: Molly Weasley II
Valentine-Making Station: Candy—Wax Lips: Write about a character changing his/her appearance.
If You Dare… Challenge: 738. Broken Wings
Words: 482

Someone Else

She remembered every word they'd ever said. Staring into the depths of the mirror, illuminated by wand light, Molly could see their words, tattooed on her skin. Of course he didn't want her. How could anyone want her? She had sheep-hair, bug-eyes, gorilla-arms, raisin-boobs, rabbit-teeth and an arse like an old man's ball sack.

The way they'd sounded, those words, as if she was supposed to find them funny. As if it was a fact that she was not pretty, and so not worth fussing over, so let's look on the bright side, eh? It was like funeral humour the dead could hear.

But Molly never responded with laughter. Sometimes, her cheeks would burn beneath her makeup, and she'd hope it wasn't showing. Sometimes, her pulse would quicken as if she was preparing to run from the sounds. Sometimes, her blood would boil as if it wanted to break out of her and attack.

Every time, she felt as though she wasn't enough.

As Molly looked in the mirror, she couldn't help but cry. As the tears fell, she turned away and choked out a "Nox".

In the blackness, no one saw her turn her wand, pointing it towards herself. Above the wracking sobs, no one who could have heard her voice was able to make out the words.

Molly had read the books cover to cover, memorised their words as much as the insults. She knew the spells, they'd just never seemed to work before, when she was looking. Now, she was not looking. She didn't care what the results were. She only hoped that, when she turned back around to the mirror, relit her wand-tip, she would not see herself.

She felt the effects of the spells, felt her skin tighten across her face, felt her body shift and shape to the tune of her magic and desire. Molly flung every spell she knew at herself, and even some she wasn't sure of.

She gave up when the hitched breaths of her agonising tears wouldn't let her voice break forth anymore.

Molly turned back around, frightened to death that she'd see herself exactly as she had been.

She whispered a "Lumos", and turned her terrified eyes to the mirror.

Her eyes were different sizes, her hair a different colour. Her arms were shorter, breasts bigger, hips rounder. Her lips were angled and sharp, like those of a doll she used to own. The bones of her face were sharper, the fat sucked from them. Everything they'd ever criticised her for, Molly had fixed, and more besides. And she couldn't help but feel like a monster with broken wings.

And she couldn't help but feel like she still looked like herself.

A fit of fearful, sorrowful, miserable anger ran over her. Her fist hit out before she knew what she was doing. Glass pierced flesh as the mirror shattered.

Nothing changed.